re: #89 lawhawk

There’s very sound reasons why most nations have signed the NPT (Iran included).

Let me repeat that last bit. Iran signed the NPT. This is why we’re seeing P5+1 talks and that it isn’t just the US looking to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program from moving ahead.

There are practical reasons too - if Iran gets nukes, it might encourage Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and the other Gulf States to get their own (likely via Pakistan) to maintain a balance of power (MAD) to keep Iran in check.

Some people think Iran might pursue nuclear weapons - and to use them against its enemies so as to bring about a religious epiphany - end times stuff that ignores most rational actor analysis that Iran’s leaders will not be so crazy as to use them since it would mean their very end. With Ahmadinejad, the crazy wing was definitely in charge, but the current leaders have ratcheted back the crazy.

It still comes down to trust but verify (you know, Reagan’s old adage in dealing with the then Soviet nuclear inventory). It worked then, it could work here still.

Our crazies projecting on their crazies since they’d toss the nukes to bring about the End Times and destroy the infidels if they could.
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